HD48 - Retirement Benefits for State Police Officers and Other Law Enforcement Officers, and Salaries of Communications Operators of the Virginia Department of State Police

  • Published: 1989
  • Author: General Assembly. Joint Subcommittee
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 105 (Regular Session, 1988)

Executive Summary:
The 1988 General Assembly established this joint subcommittee pursuant to House Joint Resolution No. 105 to analyze the following issues:

I. Whether state police officers should be eligible to receive full retirement benefits after twenty-five years of service to the Commonwealth, regardless of age;

II. Whether the Commonwealth should adopt and fund a requirement that every locality provide sheriffs and deputy sheriffs with retirement benefits equivalent to those of state police officers; and

III. Whether the salaries of communications operators of the Department of State Police should be increased two grades from Grade 7 to Grade 9 for Communications Operators, and from Grade 8 to Grade 10 for Lead Communications Operators?

Delegate Robert B. Ball, Sr., and Senator Howard P. Anderson served as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.

This joint subcommittee held four meetings to analyze the preceding issues: two public hearings and two work sessions. The preceding issues arose from three subcommittee studies by the 1987 General Assembly relating to retirement benefits of state police and compensation of constitutional officers. The following table summarizes the purpose and recommendations of the 1987 subcommittee studies on retirement benefits for state police officers and compensation of constitutional officers.

Report: Report of JLARC on "An Assessment of Eligibility for State Police Officers Retirement System Benefits" (HD 2, 1988)
Purpose: To examine whether other law enforcement groups should be included in the State Police Officers Retirement System, instead of VSRS.
Recommendations: The State Police Officers Retirement System should remain solely for those positions within the State Police that are currently covered. No other state law enforcement groups should be added at this time.

Report: "Report of the Joint Subcommittee on the Compensation Board and State Support of Constitutional Officers" (HD 29, 1988)
Purpose: To examine state support for salaries and benefits for constitutional officers and their employees, state support of operating expenses of constitutional officers and the method by which these funds are distributed.
Recommendations: Identified and analyzed issues, general recommendations.

Report: "Report of the Virginia State Crime Commission on Law Enforcement Compensation" (SD 7, 1988)
Purpose: To examine the salaries and other compensation paid to law enforcement officers and compare their salaries to those paid to law enforcement officers in other states.
Recommendations: A one grade pay increase for game wardens and ABC agents effective July 1, 1988, and a one grade pay increase for deputy sheriffs.